


a chorus everybody knows

by amargeet



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Caring Josh Dun, Cute, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Jenna Joseph Is A Queen, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, Sad Tyler Joseph, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 05:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16111997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amargeet/pseuds/amargeet
Summary: Jenna was done with Tyler pretending he doesn’t have feelings for Josh and decides to do something about it.





	a chorus everybody knows

Tyler was insecure about a lot of things. His looks, his music, how he spoke. They were constant factors of his life but they were nothing like his insecurity about entering a relationship with Josh when he was still in one with Jenna, even though she was completely okay with it.

The problem was simple. Tyler was a mess and he didn’t know if Josh even liked guys that way, let alone Tyler.

Jenna was happy for him when he finally admitted that he liked Josh, and that he wanted to be in a relationship with Josh  _ and  _ her, at least at first. Now, when she saw him hesitating, she rolled her eyes and told him to hurry up and “ask his drummer out already”. He had told her that it wasn’t that simple.

She had looked at him disbelievingly, then smiled and shook his head. Then walked off. He didn’t even realise that she was planning anything but the situation he was in right now was clearly her doing.

She had both him and Josh trapped in the shared bedroom of his and Jenna’s home. The door was locked from the outside – he thought he had gotten rid of the key for that – and Tyler was stuck standing and staring at Josh who looked right back. He seemed incredibly confused.

Tyler glanced towards the door but it hadn’t been unlocked in the time he had taken to look at Josh. Obviously. He frowned, then sighed, and then sat down on the bed. Josh sat down next to him.

“Any idea why she locked us in here?” Josh asked him.

The obvious answer to that was ‘yes’. He shook his head no.

Josh’s face dropped, then he looked like he was thinking.

“Nothing happened between us, right? Last time this happened was because you wouldn’t tell me you took the last can of red bell and Jenna got annoyed because she thought it was stupid.” Josh said. Tyler remembered that. Josh had been completely oblivious about it, even though it should have been obvious. A bit like how he – somehow – had yet to notice Tyler’s pinning, despite how obvious he knew it was.

Tyler shook his head again.

“No, no way. We’re fine. Jenna’s just… being Jenna. She told me to tell you something, but it honestly doesn’t matter.”

Hindsight told him he probably shouldn’t have said that. It was only going to make more curious than he already was. And it did.

Josh raised an eyebrow.

“Doesn’t matter?” He asked, and he sounded incredulous, “Tyler, you know just as well as I do that when you say something ‘doesn’t matter’ it really,  _ really  _ does. Come on, tell me what’s bothering you.”

Tyler purses his lips and looked away. Why did Jenna think that shoving him into talking with Josh would be a good idea?

Josh put a hand on his arm. It was done in comfort and Tyler couldn’t help but reflexively relax into Josh’s touch. Slowly he looked at the drummer, peering out from under his eyelids.

Josh smiled at him in encouragement, and just with that look Tyler could feel himself breaking. He couldn’t never say no to his – no, not  _ his _ , he reprimanded himself — drummer.

Then Joshua put his other hand on Tyler’s back and drew him into a hug.

“Oh, Ty, don’t cry. It’s okay.” Josh whispered in comfort into the singers ears.

_ Cry? He wasn’t— _

Around Josh’s hug Tyler lifted a hand up and wiped his eyes.

Oh. His hand came away wet.

Josh leaned back, just a little. He took Tyler’s hands back into his own.

“It’s okay, Tyler.” He repeated, and Tyler  _ shattered _ .

“I’m sorry.” He apologised, over and over again before he collapsed against Josh’s chest with a quiet string of words.

“I’ve fallen in love with you. I’m so, so sorry.”

He felt Josh freeze just as he saw his expression do the same. He remained silent and didn’t resist as Josh pushed him back and looked at him with the most intense state he had ever seen on the drummers face. He folded in on himself and looked down, awaiting rejection.

Josh reached forwards and took hold of Tyler’s face.

“You… what did you just say?” He asked, his expressionist turning disbelieving. There was a hint of terror in his words that had Tyler cringing away from his touch. Josh’s face instantly softened.

“Tyler, you can’t… Jenna—” Josh stumbled over his words, sounding completely uncomfortable with what he was saying.

Tyler reined in his nerves before he spoke. His voice still shuddered.

“I… Jenna’s fine with it. She said, uh, she told me that if this was how I felt then…” his cheeks burnt, “then you could both have me.”

Josh’s mouth dropped open. He looked to be in complete and utter disbelief. Tyler wanted to run away and never look back but he knew the door was still locked.

“Tyler, I–”

“It really doesn’t matter.” Tyler cut him off, words flooding from his mouth before he could stop it, “I can ignore it. It’ll go away. It’s– it’s fine. Just pretend I never said anything.” His mind was fighting against him and he knew he was at the start of a panic attack. Josh knew it too. The drummer out his hands around Tyler’s own and guided them to Josh’s chest. Beneath his hands he could feel Josh’s heartbeat.

“It’s okay, Ty. Come on, just breath with me. I never told you my answer. That’s right, in and out. You’re doing great. There you go.”

Tyler curled in on himself and just  _ breathed. _ His tears had dropped, but his eyes burnt with what they had left behind.

“Sorry.” He croaked, repeating himself from earlier.

Josh shook his head. He smiled. Tyler was confused, what was that look–?

“That answer, Tyler. Can I say?” Josh asked, and Tyler slowly, worriedly, nodded. “I think I’ve fallen for you too.” Josh’s eyes seemed to turn up with his smile. Tyler’s breath seemed to vanish.

_ What?  _ He would have said, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He could only mouth the word. Josh, at least, knew what he was going.

“I never said it,” Josh told him, almost… sheepishly. “You and Jenna, you’re both amazing, and I couldn’t stand between that. Do you really–”

The tears returned with a vengeance. They were more from disbelief than anything, but under that was immeasurable joy.

Was this really happening? Tyler wanted to pinch himself but he didn’t want this dream to end. Josh, who was still holding Tyler’s hands to his heart, pinched one of the wrists he was still holding. Tyler let out a gasp of surprise.

Nothing changed. Josh knew exactly what he needed. Tyler pulled his hand away from Josh’s heart and breathed in deep.

Tyler reached up, held Josh’s face in his hands softly, and took a chance. He kissed his drummer, and Josh didn’t hesitate to kiss back.

They only stopped when they had to breath for air. When they did, they probably would have gone for another one. But they were distracted by the sound of clapping at the doorway. They turned in sync.

Jenna stood there, smile stretching from ear to ear. She looked so happy. Tyler didn’t hesitate in hopping off the bed and bringing her into the tightest hug he had ever given someone.

“Thank you.” He whispered into her ear, and there were arms around him from his wife and another pair being wrapped around him and Jenna from behind.

“Really, Jenna,” spoke Josh, sounding so sincere and breathless, “thank you.”

Tyler didn’t see it but he could tell she was reaching up and putting her hand against Josh’s face.

“No ‘thank you’s’. You two deserve to be happy, and if you don’t mind having me I’d very much like for you to join me and Tyler as our boyfriend – if Ty hasn’t already asked you.” Jenna replied, and Tyler pulled himself out of the hug to look at his two most precious people in the world. Jenna and Josh looked at each other.

The smile on Josh’s face was beautiful.

“Of course I want that. I’d love that.” Josh responded.

Josh and Jenna shared a grin and they both turned to look at Tyler. Tyler glowed under their gazes.

Jenna leaned over to him and pecked his lips with her own.

“I told you, didn’t I?” She whispered. Tyler glanced at Josh and smiled widely.

“You did.”


End file.
